Incorporated on January 29, 1825, the city of Vicksburg was named for Newitt Vick, a land speculator and methodist minister who died in 1814, 11 years before the actual incorporation of the city. Vick is credited with the founding of Vicksburg in 1811. The city of Vicksburg has entrusted a number of community organizations and civic groups with the responsibility of planning and developing the 200th celebration of Vicksburg’s founding. How representative and accurate a celebration the Vicksburg Bicentennial will be remains unclear. Nevertheless, a number of activities on a scale rarely seen in the Mississippi heartland has been promised. Toni Williams, a member of the Vicksburg Bicentennial Planning Committee, says a broad range of outstanding events will be presented.  The Bicentennial kicks off at 2 p.m,. January 29, 2025, with the Mayor’s Proclamation. The Bicentennial Parade begins at 5:00 p.m. the same day. In April 2025, music and cultural

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the federal law that sets the standards for Jackson’s public water system with the aim of supplying everyone a steady and healthy supply of drinking water.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), the two federal agencies responsible for the enforcement of SDWA standards, conducted public hearings on October 10-11 at JSU’s e-Center to elicit opinions and evaluations from Jackson water customers about their new water delivery system that has been in place just one month shy of two years. Since failing an EPA inspection in 2012, the City of Jackson had been unable to bring its system into compliance with EPA standards in the ensuing years, due mainly to inadequate funds, a dysfunctional metering system, and inadequate personnel to run it. After a record freeze in winter 2021, Jackson’s O. B. Curtis water processing plant was closed for